Redemption
by Red Redeemer
Summary: A new force has entered the world. A force so powerful that only the best will be able to save existence as it is known. At the same time, three familiar faces enter the world. Untried, untested, but ready for anything, they will have to grow up quickly to be saviours, lest the world fall into chaos. Rated T... for now.
1. Chapter 1 - Endgame

_AN: Hey there to all potential readers. This is my first fic: be brutal. Crush my spirit so that I can rise up to improve myself further. Also, reviews let me know where I am and where to go, so please, assist the newbie. Thanks must go to a single person in Australia for this fic; someone had to kick my ass to publish this. Sincerely though, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing what little there is so far._

 **Chapter 1 – Endgame**

The brisk autumn wind howled through the isolated paths of Viridian forest. The man in the trench coat huddled closer to the brace of rowan in which he was sheltering. He was tall, but not much more than that could be discerned other than his notable height; a wide-brimmed hat sat atop his head, masking all but his grin as he watched a shadow detach itself from the surrounding gloom and approach his position.

The figure scurried closer, as if terrified of being caught in this isolated part of the wood with the briefcase he carried. The surrounding night created a sense of being watched, the darkness seeming to lean in and suffocate the petrified man.

"I've brought what you wanted," the second man spluttered, "Take it and be gone, I beg you. Please, return my family to me! Please!" he began to wail as his anguish built up into a cacophony of immense proportions.

The man in the coat stood up to his full height, towering over the sobbing wretch at his feet as he clicked the lock on the briefcase. His grin became a tight-lipped smirk of satisfaction.

"Well done Tobias, very well done indeed," said the man in the trench coat in a deep, rich voice, as he pulled out a strange polychromatic orb from the inside of his coat. Pressing the faint protrusion in the middle of the sphere, he watched in satisfaction as the sphere began to expand, with metal panels sliding seamlessly out and forming a cohesive ball, with only the equatorial ring and protrusion visible. The orb was a vivid red on the upper half, bone white on the lower.

"Come out, my sweet," he murmured as he tossed the orb into the air. A bright flash appeared briefly, lighting up the surrounding murk and highlighting the look of shock on the grovelling man's face. A brown creature appeared from the flash, with slit eyes and appendages wrapped like a martial artist.

The second man's eyes grew wide with shock. "The project worked, the project worked," he began to moan as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

The man in the trench coat looked up, displaying a flash of cold, black eyes. "Yes, the project worked. The Pokéball works. And soon, yes soon my dear Tobias, I shall begin to sell these commercially at great cost. No more will humans have to treat Pokémon as pets, training them with physicality alone. No, we now enter a new era: the Pokéball allows any person to more easily exert their will on Pokémon and I, Giovanni, will be the unknown saviour of the human race."

"Unknown?"

"Once I have the profits from these Pokéballs, I will begin to use the profits to build up an army. You may say it is evil, but I have seen the future, and it is dark, terrifying and I will be the only one to stop it."

The whimpering wretch on the ground stammered "M-m-my famil-l-ly?"

"Tell them Giovanni sends regards," the man in the trench coat said. Tobias's eyes grew wide. "Oh fu- " were the last sounds he made as a spinning foot decapitated him.

Giovanni held up the small, translucent ball in the briefcase up to the light. All that could be seen was a single, pink hair. "I'm coming for you, Mew."

* * *

Red awoke. He had the strangest, vaguest recollection of a dream, but could not remember precisely what occurred. Putting it down to nerves, he shook his head and made for the bathroom. It was mere coincidence that a dream like that should occur just before setting off on the journey of a lifetime… right? Regardless, it was special that he was setting out on May 22, his 18th birthday. Much had changed in the 18 years of his life. His father had disappeared, almost always muttering something about "the project", or "the task", until vanishing into thin air. Or so his mother always told him. Regardless, they still received an anonymous envelope every month marked DRK, with substantial cash to see them through with Red in a good private school, a large house and a quaint neighbourhood.

He was setting out with only a single Pokémon at his side, with only his rival for company along the way. As it was his birthday, Professor Samuel Oak was allowing him the first pick of the three high-level starter Pokémon. He could not be more keen.

He looked to his bedside clock. 04:32. Too excited to go back to sleep, he decided to go for a walk. Picking up nothing but his backpack, already packed, he headed through the front door, as he had been doing for months, to go explore the wilds of the world. As he headed further north, he began to hear the cry of the untamed lands resonate through his veins. The deep bass of a noctowl, the trill of the kricketune in the grass, the movement though the grass as liepard and persian prowled about the land seeking their next meal. He revelled in the bliss that early morning brought, the iconic wolf's dawn on the plains.

He continued onwards for a time before coming to a halt at a fast-flowing brook. Removing a flask from his bag, he filled it with the soothing water and eagerly ingested the liquid to soothe his parched throat. As he sat there his attention began to drift, so that he did not notice the stealthy approach of padded footsteps heading his way.

* * *

The luxray crouched, preparing to spring out upon its unwary prey. Seldom did easy meat such as this present itself. Just before it pounced, he heard a sound that made him growl. He knew that voice. It had cost him one too many meals.

* * *

"Red? What are you doing here? Surely you, of all my students, know best that these wilds are unsafe at this time of morning? Why are you out here?" the voice said, a wizened, deep voice said.

"Oh, Professor, I had no idea you would be out here at this time of morning," Red replied, "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk."

"Blue had a similar problem. He was at the lab all night. I need to go refill on my coffee stocks now," Professor Samuel Oak said with a chuckle, "Regardless, what say you w-"

He was interrupted by a loud roar and turned to see a large, powerful looking Luxray jumping at his throat. Its navy-blue mane had predominance over all other features, bar the startling yellow eyes staring at him with malice.

"Dragonite, sit" Oak calmly said.

A large, orange lizard promptly ceased its attempts at hovering above the older man, slamming into the suddenly perplexed lion like a demonic orange giant fruit bat out of the depths of hell itself.

"Now, now luxray, we've talked about this, we really have," Oak sighed, shaking his head, "What part of you cannot eat people do you struggle to comprehend you moron. Now apologise to Red here and I'll ask dragonite to get up. No guarantees though, he does so hate being up early. Now apologise."

The luxray moaned pitifully, somewhere between that sound of a suitably chastised pet who dug up the sprinkler system and a sound emitting teddy bear trapped in the vice grip that is the arms of a 5-year-old girl.

"Good. Now, dragonite, if you wouldn't mind…"

Dragonite glanced at Oak, snorted in an undignified manner, and proceeded to use the luxray's head as support to push itself up. The luxray, needless to say, had a bit of a close-up and personal get together with the dirt.

"Now as I was saying," said the Pokémon professor to the open-mouthed student before him, "Shall we head back to the lab? That way you can get a head start with your future partner."

Red was gobsmacked at the casual display of power against a powerful Pokémon, so much so that he only managed to squeeze one single word past his awestruck lips: "Okay."

* * *

"Took you long enough," an arrogant voice exclaimed as the professor and student walked through the door into the lab, "I thought I was gonna die of old age waiting for you two to show up."

"Your impatience is one area you don't need to train at least, Blue," the old man stated wryly, then moved on while his grandson turned a lovely shade of puce.

"Now come here you two, seeing as neither of you seems prepared to relax until such time as you are on your journey - the contradiction of that statement makes me shiver," the old man said with a pained expression, "As you both know, my too 3 students every year receive my premium starter. I always let the top of the class have first pick, howe-"

"Don't sweat it gramps, I already know that I want the squirtle! Let's get to it, come on!" Blue Oak exclaimed, rushing towards the mounted glass case in which lay three of those wondrous items, the Pokéball.

"Just a moment," the professor said, stopping Blue in his tracks, "As I was saying, _she_ has agreed to let Red have the first pick as it is, after all, his birthday."

Blue hadn't heard anything past "she". Both he and Red had visibly paled when the professor had said that.

"You don't mean -" began Blue.

"Oh yes he does, Blue Oak. I beat your sorry ass into next week with my marks, so suck it!" said a rather beautiful girl who walked into the lab at that moment.

"Now, now no call for that you two. Red, why don't you go ahead and choose your Pokémon?" the professor said.

Red didn't hesitate. He needed a Pokémon to keep him on his toes, to provide the maximum challenge to his ability and trust in himself. Something to counterbalance his calm and centred personality. An everlasting friend.

"Charmander"


	2. Chapter 2 - Bloom

_AN: Hey there. So this is the second chapter. I'd like a review, or a PM just to point out something I can change. Anyway, enjoy._

 **Chapter 2 – Bloom**

"Charmander"

With one single word the tension in the room seemed to loosen exponentially. The girl sighed, a single breath signifying all her relief that she would get her Pokémon, no, _thee_ Pokémon of her choice. Blue grinned widely, as he had been scared he would be left with such an ungainly Pokémon after the other two had picked.

"Well," professor Oak said, clearing his throat after the moment's silence, "Red, just so that you do realise, you have chosen the most difficult Pokémon to raise. You are aware of this correct?"

Red nodded. He knew.

"I can't alter your choice, but I can offer advice. The Fire Pokémon, charmander, requires extreme patience to raise. Until such time as you have raised him sufficiently, you will struggle to win battles with him, but persist, for the end result is a versatile, ruthless killing specialist, loyal to a fault to the trainer who raised it to be what it will become. Good luck."

Red grinned slightly: he was ready.

The professor now turned to the young lady at his side. "Leaf, my dear, it is, I believe, your opportunity to select a Pokémon. With marks like yours, I hardly feel it necessary to give you advice, but I will regardless. Now choose."

Leaf turned to her peers. "See you on the flip side," she said, smiling at them, "I choose bulbasaur."

"I see. An apt choice, considering your bubbly personality. Plant type Pokémon are full of energy and never cease to amaze -". Whatever else he was going to say was muffled as a large, bulbous yellow Pokémon enveloped him. The three teens stifled giggles, as it was a common occurrence at this lab. The professor's Pokémon were zealously affectionate towards him, and would often show such affection. Some were just slightly more affectionate than others.

After a few moments of watching the antics of the professor, Red walked forwards and tickled the victreebel between the eyes. With a sneeze, it released the professor and fell on the floor looking thoroughly confused. The now-slick professor proceeded to give the three young adults a glare that would have shamed Koga's arbok into examining its training methods.

"Ahem. Now, Blue, as you are the only one left, allow me to give you some advice. Leaf, I will not give you any more advice at present, as Vee is proud of her type," he said, his face softening slightly when looking at the befuddled victreebel, "So, squirtle. A slightly more difficult Pokémon to raise, as it requires a large amount of care, being a water type Pokémon: it needs to be kept moist, as dry skin reduces its ability as a combative Pokémon to defend you and win battles. Raise it with care; I expect nothing less as my grandson.

"Now, go out and explore the world. Red, can I speak to you a minute? Also, I suggest you two stick around town for a few days, I'm expecting a package soon with a few vital parts for my newest project which you three will be field trialling," having said his piece, he turned to leave.

"Hold up gramps! Red and I have to battle first, and I won't leave you alone until then. So battle now talk later, got it?" Blue sneered.

Professor Oak sighed at his grandson's arrogance and impatience. "Fine. I will referee."

* * *

"This will, due to you both only having one Pokémon, be a one-on-one Pokémon battle. Non-lethal attacks only please, Red as the one who was challenged, you have the first move. Battle begin," Samuel said.

"Charmander, bare your spirit for the world to see,"

"Squirtle, crush the runt,"

The two Pokémon emerged and turned to look at their trainers, to see who they would live out their lives with, both momentarily ignoring the summons to battle from their trainers.

Charmander saw a tall, dusky-haired young man with a lithe build before him, with some form of ridiculous appendage on his head that covered his hair and cast his eyes in shadow. He caught a fleeting glimpse of the eyes staring back at him, kind eyes, but eyes that concealed a power so immense that the small lizard could do naught but shiver. Will-power and determination was in this man's soul; he would be a good trainer for charmander. The lizard turned back to face his opponent.

Meanwhile, squirtle had turned to the brown-haired teen facing Red. He saw a drive to be the best, a hunger to succeed, but also fear; of what, he knew not. He saw spite and jealousy, but underlying all of that an unwavering loyalty that was displayed through his hazelnut-hewed eyes. The tiny turtle knew that although their relationship might never be close, that this trainer would never abandon him. He nodded. He would fight for this man.

The turtle turned back to the lizard, both sizing up the other Pokémon. Charmander grinned, awaiting the fight with anticipation. The turtle smirked: he was facing a fire type, what could go wrong?

Oak stepped between the two new trainers. "Begin"

"Squirtle, tackle him!" Blue shouted.

"Charmander, wait until squirtle's close, then dodge, but spin your tail in so he gets a face full of flames. Then get in close and scratch him. Claws out enough to hurt, not enough to maim," Red said in a low tone, but fast paced as the blue turtle was moving much faster than regular stereotypes let on.

Charmander nodded, then followed the instructions to the letter. The blue Pokémon cried out at the unexpected mouthful of fiery tail, followed by an intense pain on its exposed arms. It whipped its tail at the opposing reptilian, catching its leg and tripping it up slightly. In the second that the charmander's defence was down, the chelonian launched a vicious counter-attack, connecting with the charmander's midriff and eliciting an expulsion of air from the flaming lizard.

The charmander turned to the tiny turtle Pokémon and unorthodoxly attacked: it balled its hand and punched the turtle, a perfect right hook to the nose, knocking the turtle out cold. This exchange had happened in the space of a few seconds, so the trainers had been unable to react: they were not yet prepared for the sheer speed and ferocity of a Pokémon battle.

"Squirtle, you gotta get up! You can't let that runt steamroll you," Blue cried, after getting over his shock at the power display, "Come on, how can I have picked the wrong Pokémon? It's strong against your Pokémon."

"Blue! You of all people should know that type advantage isn't everything," the professor reprimanded him, "Pokémon have the same intelligence as humans, most of them at any rate. As such, showing them the slightest bit of compassion will make them fight all the harder, not for you, but alongside you."

Blue mumbled something inaudible to the professor, but he did catch "stupid old man". Samuel Oak sighed; his grandson was too arrogant, and it was going to cost him one day.

* * *

Red, meanwhile, had spoken to his charmander. Though he wasn't talkative by nature, he found it easy to open up to Pokémon: they couldn't talk back anyway, not _really_.

"That was great charmander, truly excellent. Slightly unconventional, but you thought on your feet. I'm proud to be your trainer," he told the lacertian, while secretly wondering if its tail ever got burnt by the flame that it produced; he had a short attention span.

The fiery lizard replied with a low, crooning sound, ecstatic over its trainer's words of praise. It was tired, but it felt stronger: the experience from battling a type he was weak against was significant, and he would use that experience well in the future.

"Return," Red said, returning charmander to its ball. Blue did likewise with his squirtle.

"Not bad chump, but I'll train my Pokémon to get stronger, battling it to toughen it up. Red, Gramps, Leaf, I'm gonna go; smell ya later!" he said, walking out the lab door, his cockiness already reasserting itself.

Professor Oak sighed.

"That boy has potential, but he has a long way to go still. Red, come talk to me. Leaf, I'll call you when the package is here. Perhaps you could train around Pallet… actually, why don't you travel with Red here? That way you both have company while training," said Oak, slightly too enthusiastically. He turned to Red again.

"Red, you know my contact at the Pokémart in Viridian. Please, I need you to fetch the package I was telling you three about. I am asking you because you are, after all, still one of my research aides," he said with a smirk.

Red nodded.

"Sure," he said. He turned to Leaf, "I'm ready to leave, do you need some time or…" he faltered, as Leaf held up a backpack.

"Whenever you're ready," she said.

He nodded again.

"See you soon professor," he said, heading out the door, Leaf on his heels. He was ready to officially begin his journey; his journey to become the very best, like no one ever was.

 _AN: So that's it for this chapter. Please review/PM/somehow let me know how to improve my writing style. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Red Redeemer._


	3. Chapter 3 - Trailblazing

_AN: Chapter 3. Still trying to find out where to improve. Please leave a review, or even a PM with a good job or something, so that I can pat myself on the back and say "there, there, you're not completely useless," or something to that effect anyway. Also, I got a job, which is pretty much why there was a delay on this chapter. Enjoy._

Chapter 3 – Trailblazing

Red and Leaf walked out of the lab and towards the north of town.

Pallet Town was a small collection of houses and people, set in the heartland of the mountainous Kanto region. Completely surrounded by the wilds, set next to the ocean in an unpolluted area, it was little wonder that Professor Samuel Oak had set up his lab here.

The residents of the area had adapted to the almost extreme conditions surrounding the picturesque town. Although it appeared to be a peaceful area, it was subject to raids by wild Pokémon , marauding bandits and the occasional typhoon. Everything said and done though, it was an amazing place to live.

The two novice trainers walked along the quiet streets, past peaceful suburban houses, down winding, shaded lanes, past a startled rattata that had fallen backwards off a dustbin and out of the quiet town they called home.

"This is so exciting!" Leaf exclaimed, "Come on, slow coach, I want to get there before I turn 19."

Red kept stoically silent. He only really talked when Pokémon were concerned.

' _Why, why, why would that old man send this babbling aipom's backside with me? It's almost like he thinks I'll need help,'_ Red thought to himself.

Sighing, he let his charmander out.

"Hey bud," was all he said.

"Chaar," the brightly coloured lizard responded, sounding happy.

He sniffed the air, then tensed. Turning to a clump of bushes behind his trainer, he growled, then raced off towards them.

Red, instantly alert, having been raised alongside Pokémon and learning the mannerisms that signalled alertness and danger, pulled a combat knife from his pack and followed.

* * *

The knife was long, about 20cm long, with serrated teeth gleaming with a freshly oiled shine that put one in mind of a sharpedo's mouth up close, with a thick, slightly convex back side. The handle was wrapped in alternating strand of steel wire and leather, tinted green. On closer inspection, one could see a stylistic G inscribed on either side of the blade.

Red cautiously approached the copse his only Pokémon had disappeared into. A sudden growl from ahead halted his steady advance. A flash of flame, then a sudden swarm of rattata scattered out of the bushes and fled.

Red resumed his wary approach. He halted in front of the bush where the flame had come from and pried away a branch obscuring his vision, only to let out a gasp. There, in front of this rookie trainer, was a giant bird of prey, but of a strange hue he had only seen once: in the photo frame of his dad and his Pokémon team.

This terrifying monstrosity of the skies had been a source of inspiration to him always.

" _Your father rescued pidgeot as a pidgey from a band of poachers. He always was against abuse of any kind, from the smallest dedenne to the largest Snorlax; he was the chief suspect in a murder case when a band of poachers had been found dead in the forest,"_ his mother used to tell him as a boy, thoughwhy anyone would tell a small child that particular detail Red never knew, _"Naturally they found him to be innocent. He was a good man, before he, before…"_ at which point she would break down crying.

Red had always known that one day his father had just disappeared, not even a note. Sure, they got a massive cheque in the post each month, but they just assumed that was from a trust fund set up in the event of his father's death. He didn't even know his father's name, only an affectionate moniker from his mother: GJ.

The knife was his father's as well.

All this and more went through his head in the moment it took him to analyse the situation, leaving him with only one thing to say: "Charmander, when did you learn Ember?"

"Mand charmander"

' _I'm really going to have to find a way to accurately communicate with my Pokémon, this is just ridiculous,'_ he thought to himself.

Once more resuming his vigilant approach, he closed on the pidgeot. He noticed the small details on the magnificent raptor as he approached it. She cawed in warning, then dropped her head again.

' _At least I know this can't be my father's: his had a scar across the right e- no way,'_ his initial musings forgotten as the pidgeot's head snapped around to him, making the white scar vividly stand out against the stark contrast of gold-and-black feathering.

His heart started pumping harder: this pidgeot was his father's companion. But what had happened? Why was she not – oh. There, nestled among her soft down, was a single egg. She must have just laid it. Breeding Pokémon would often leave their trainers to raise young, but would always return to them. However, Red had arrived too late to save this pidgeot: and lost the chance to see his dad when she returned to him.

' _She must have finished laying the egg just before the rattata hit her. No wonder she couldn't put up a fight,'_ Red thought sadly.

"Don't worry girl, I'll look after your egg for you; be at peace,"

Almost sighing in content, the pidgeot closed her transparent eyelids one last time before passing into the nether.

"Red? Where'd you get off to n- oh, no" Leaf gasped, as she came around the corner to the spectacle of Red kneeling by the corpse.

Red didn't reply, instead gently prising the egg out from under the body of the beautiful bird, awe-inspiring even after death.

"Get my sleeping bag out please," he asked, as he cradled the egg against his body for warmth.

Complying, she wordlessly passed the unrolled sleeping bag from his pack.

With the utmost care, he wrapped the egg inside the bag.

"Let's go"

* * *

Once more they resumed their walk, in an uncomfortable silence with Red cradling the sleeping bag to his chest to pass his heat into the sack by the convection of his body heat.

"Red, why were y-" Leaf began.

"She was my father's"

She gasped in understanding. "So, your father, that means he's not…"

"Yeah, or he released all his Pokémon before whatever happened to him happened," he replied as they passed a sign that claimed that Viridian was only two kilometres away.

They continued to walk in silence, the mood having darkened even further than before. With sunset approaching they began to see city lights winking on, not too far away now.

"Look, Red, I'm -" Leaf started to say.

"Don't; just, don't," he said, before increasing the pace.

* * *

Soon enough Leaf had fallen behind. She hurried along as fast as her legs would take her, eventually catching up to Red at the Pokémon centre desk, where Red had just finished getting accommodation for the night.

"We're sharing a room," was all he said, turning to look at her.

She began to blush furiously, flustered. "But how-"

"Two beds," he said, cutting her off for the umpteenth time, as the attendant at the Pokémon centre desk handed him his Pokéball and a cylindrical device the size of a lantern.

"That will keep the egg completely safe, it has cushions and an internal heating device. Make sure to charge it at all times, either with solar power or a wall socket: it has only 12 hours of internal battery. It also has an automated notification system for when the egg is close to hatching," the nurse said, eyeing Leaf while he said this.

Red nodded and moved off, Leaf hurrying after him to get the hell away from the perverted night duty nurse.

They climbed a narrow flight of stairs, then another, and another, eventually emerging on the fourth floor.

Heading into their room, Leaf got first use of the bathroom. Red got straight into bed, switching off his light. He would shower in the morning.

Emerging from the bathroom half a century later, Leaf saw Red's prostrate form, already asleep. She sighed.

"Goodnight Red," she whispered.

She may have been imagining it, but she could have sworn she heard a barely audible "goodnight" from Red's side of the room.

Smiling softly to herself, she climbed into her own bed and slipped into the dark, enveloping arms of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 _AN: And that's it for this chapter. I know these chapters aren't particularly long, but I find that it helps to focus on a particular section of a story in detail… even if it did technically take two full chapters to get to Viridian city. Oh well, thanks for reading and let me know what you think if you have a moment._

 _-Red Redeemer-_


	4. Chapter 4 - Distractions

_AN: So after a long wait in which I have completed 2 months of university, had a job and in general got on with life, I have finally managed to complete another chapter. Hopefully I will be able to start getting chapters out on a regular basis again. Enjoy._

 **Chapter 4 - Distractions**

Red rolled over, wide-awake. His dream felt too real, too vivid to have just been a dream; he felt raw and open, like a Vigoroth had used him as a punching bag, and then used his intestines as a skipping rope. His stomach was tight, his breathing heavy. He had watched his mom die.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he reached for the control set installed in the hotel room. The control set looked very much like a box-computer: a silver, briefcase-shaped item with a phone on one side, a video call screen in the middle and an alarm clock setup on the left. From the centre of the box, where the clasp usually is, protruded a handle, which when pulled out displayed a functional keyboard and trackpad.

The base of the case was attached to a movable arm, which in turn folded into an alcove in the wall. This was standard in all Pokémon centres across the Kanto region, ever since GIOCorp got the monopoly on any and all things Pokémon related: Pokéballs, Pokémarts, Pokécentres and Pokénavs to name but a few. GIOCorp - the Global Innovation and Orbific Corporation.

Opening the control box, he checked the time. 1:32. Sighing, he got up and quietly pulled on his clothes. Clipping his belt on, he quietly left the room, checking that Leaf was safely locked in behind him. He may not have cared much for her, but he still had a moral obligation to look after her: travelling partners are - for better or worse - for life; if he lost her now he wouldn't travel again for the same number of years that she had lived, according to the customs of the region.

* * *

Legend has it that two travellers had crossed the length of the Johto-Kanto Island together over the course of three decades and were, in essence, as close as two people can be. It was such a unique relationship between the two that they were unable to live without the other. This particular legend details their last times together.

On coming to the pass between the two halves of the island, the two travellers came to a rock-strewn field. Having crossed the field many times before, the two travellers hurried across their regular route to the other end of the field. Halfway across, a boulderpile collapsed as the companions walked by , threatening both of their lives, but the first companion pushed his friend away, and the entire pile collapsed on him.

The saved traveller looked around in desperation for anything that would help him save his companion, but the only thing he could see was a weak-looking snivy.

Running up to the snivy, he begged for it to help, and the snivy agreed. Attempting to free the traveller from under the boulders proved too much, so the second traveller gave his strength to the snivy who willingly absorbed it, using it to free the companion. When the first traveller recovered, he thanked the snivy who had saved him, but when he looked around for his companion there was nothing there.

"Your friend gave his life for you," a voice said to the first traveller, "This snivy shall now change form for his selflessness as well. He will one day be a serperior, the most powerful of them all. You will guard him traveller, and he will bear a scion as powerful as he, and his line will carry on and protect your line for the rest of time, as you and yours will defend them.

"Pass this story on to your children, and let them pass it to their children. Your friend will be resurrected in another time, far distant from now, in a form more powerful than any before. It is your job to ensure that your family recognises this power and protects it when it surfaces, and reminds it of its deeds. So says I, Arceus," and so saying, it happened, and Arceus disappeared.

The traveller did pass on the story, and 200 generations later the story still survived as a reminder that not only did a companion bring luck, but also someone who would spend their lives with and for you, protect you and who you would do the same for. This was the moral of such a story.

* * *

Waving to the morning shift nurse, Red walked out the lobby, ignoring the questioning look the nurse had given him. Releasing charmander, he continued to walk in silence, with the lizard Pokémon scurrying along next to him; on the path, up walls, onto roofs, into trees, along fences, all with his tail flame dimmed to conserve energy, on all fours to make travel easier.

Red watched the little saurian with a slight grin on his face, walking patiently along behind him. His thoughts wandered to his dad, who had disappeared in the Ilex Forest in Johto, a forest more dark and sinister than its cousin here in Kanto.

The last time he had been in this forest had been strange, almost dreamlike. He had felt as if something or someone was watching him, and he was drawn to it like a venomoth to a charizard's flame… the only problem with that analogy was that the charizard usually ate the venomoth that burnt to death in its flame. The only reason he had stopped his advance into the forest was that his mother had rushed in after him and pulled him out.

He hadn't thought of that trip in years. And now that he thought about it, why had his mother been so anxious to get him out of there? He only remembered his mother's eevee finding him and calling to his mother.

* * *

This eevee was special in that not only was it an albino eevee, it was also the most powerful eevee in the surrounding areas. No challenger had been able to take this eevee down in the past few years, but nevertheless it remained a humble eevee. Actually, it had met a feisty raichu who was extremely excited after it had been defeated; it had found a mate worthy of it. Strangely, as many possible mates as the eevee could have had, it had only taken one now. But that was a few months ago.

* * *

Red realised he was thinking on several different tangents with a wry grin. The grin disappeared when he saw his charmander sitting on an old man's shoulder.

The old man was chuckling as he rubbed the scaly head.

"You're a gorgeous little thing aintcha? What a beauty!" he exclaimed.

"Chaaaaa!" was his excited reply.

"Say, where's your owner little tyke? I bet his round here some –" he suddenly stopped when he saw Red, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Thanks for watching out for my charmander, I lost track of time for a while there. My name's Red, I'm – are you okay?" Red asked, as the man was rapidly backing away after putting the charmander down.

"Y-you look just l-like him," the man said almost running now.

"Who? Who do I look –" Red began, before watching as the left side of the man's head caved in, splattering gore across the ground.

Red raced up to the man, before looking around for the source of the shot. There had been no sound, but as it had come from the left he looked along the highrises, just in time to watch the glint of a sniper scope as it was lifted and slung over the broad shoulders of a vague, man-like figure on the roof, who turned and walked away, into the blackness.

* * *

Two security guards sat in the gloom of an underground laboratory, huddled around a television set in the corner. The room in which they were in was sparce, apart from a clear, thick glass cylinder in the center of the room and status monitors behind it.

In the cylinder was a vaguely humanoid shape, aside from the long, tail-like appendage protruding from the back of the creature. It was mostly white, with the entire abdomen being vivid purple. There was no sign of movement from the tank.

The chamber was dark, with the only light source coming from the television set. The film was just coming to an end, the guards riveted to the screen. From the set came the sound of the movie, a voice that was like a giant set of jaws grinding gravel between gargantuan teeth which said "I am fire. I am death!"

And in the darkness, power stirred.


	5. Chapter 5 - Musings

_AN: Feedback is good. Thanks to those who have left reviews so far. Also, this story is on just under 500 views, which is far more than I expected initially, so thanks to all those who have read it. On with the story!_

 **Chapter 5 - Musings**

Leaf slapped Red across the face, then ordered bulbasaur to vine whip him. In mild terms, she was slightly displeased with him. In real terms, she was extremely irked by his actions. Quite frankly, so was he.

"What kind of idiotic, half-witted, shuckle-brained son of a politoed goes wandering around at 1 in the freaking morning, with a single, tiny, mostly untrained fire lizard for protection and company only to nearly get his freaking head blown off?" shouted Leaf in one long burst of air, then paused for a few breaths before continuing on, "Why were you walking around at 1 anyway? You were fast asleep when I came out the shower, and I have to get up at this Arceus-forsaken hour to find your sorry ass missing from your bed and the sound of sirens disturbing my sound of silence! Do you have nothing to say? I'm so mad and disappointed and, and, and…"

She trailed off as she saw Red looking at her with a fiery expression, filled with a cold, hard rage like a mythical Balrog from the depths of the abyss.

Many believed that Tolkien had got the idea from watching a circus act involving an emboar and a charizard. After all, a creature from the depths of the abyss made of fire and rock, cloaked in the shadows of the deep was quite impossible; creatures that could make whips of fire simply could not exist, fairy tales at a stretch.

"Are you done?" Red asked quietly.

"Yes," she replied, meek as a new-born mareep.

"Good. Now shut up and listen. The man who died was the target, not me. The gunman was too far away, but he was professional; if I was the target, I would have died. Now answer me this: when can we leave here? We need to get back to Professor Oak as soon as possible." Red said.

Recovering quickly, she replied with her tone instantly back to a temperature that would have frozen an abomasnow, "8. That's when the 'mart opens. And you're still not off the hook! I should have bulbasaur hang you by your toes and torture you with leaf tickles, then put you down on a floor scattered with Lego! You're irresponsible, immature and – where are you going? I'm not finished yet!" she shouted.

"K," he said, closing the door behind him. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and began to walk down the hall. This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

"I was, in my younger years, and I use this loosely for lack of a better phrase, content with life," The eccentric man on the monitor said, "Ah, but they were golden years! The fame, the admirers, the fortunes! I had it all, except the girl of my dreams.

"Oh, but she was a beauty, lovely as the summer breeze: warm, tender and fleeting. She was married to another before me you know, yet such is the perversity of human nature that I hungered for what I could never have and dreamed of the impossible!" He said this with such passion that one could almost envision this man driven into a frenzy, a powerful young gentleman of noble stature who had lost his heart to another.

"But I wooed her nevertheless, and began to succeed in my endeavours, yet inside I -"

"This is all very well, professor," Red burst out, stopping the incessant rambling of the elderly learned man, "But how does this in any way relate to my question of what am I _actually_ supposed to be collecting?" he said.

The professor put up a finger as if to begin a lecture on the exact dynamics of how his slightly shady past was tied into the package, with his face screwed up with the displeasure of having been interrupted, then just as suddenly he put the hand down and relaxed his expression.

"As usual, straight to the point Red. I see I was right to entrust you with this mission. You know Shi correct? Shi Taki, the clerk of the Pokémart? He is expecting you, so just show him you ID and he'll give you the package," the zealous professor told his less excitable student.

"Please be careful on the road back, Red," the professor said, adopting a serious look for the first time in the conversation, "After the news about that gunman and your involvement I'm almost regretting sending you out in the first place, but how else are you supposed to meet the world? Behind a text book I think not. Besides, I - luxray, you can't eat the cables! Just because I took you in doesn't mean you can eat anything you like. Stop -" the professor was abruptly cut off.

Red turned from the monitor, shaking his head in exasperation at the supposed man of science, only to see a sight which took his breath away.

Leaf walked towards him, her long raven hair plaited in a single line and hanging over her shoulder, glossy in the late morning light. She wore a simple shirt, light blue over her mature young bodice, accompanied by a short, pink skirt. A pair of sleek Victini running shoes adorned her feet, while a simple gold chain finished off her look of radiance.

Red stared silently as she stepped off the last step, her hair bouncing softly against her body. Just as he was about to comment on how she looked, she smiled and said "Almost forgot," before placing a summer hat on her head. it was as ghastly as, well, a Ghastly… just white.

He rolled his eyes and looked away. It seems not everything about her had been matured by puberty.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked him.

"I believe I should be asking you that question," he said, "But yes. Let's go."

"Kay kay. I like your hair today though, it looks nice when it's cleaned up," she said, then skipped out the door before he could frame a response.

Red could only echo the professor as he lifted his finger and opened his mouth to make a retort, before closing it and dropping his hand, shaking his head as he followed her out the door.

* * *

"Red! It's been too long! How are you? What are you doing so far from Pallet? And who is your beautiful friend?" asked Shi Taki, the manager of the Viridian Poké Mart, as he took Leaf's hand and planted a token of his appreciation for her beauty on her flawless left hand - her right hand was enclosed by a glove.

"It's good to see you too Shi. This is Leaf. Leaf, Shi. And don't fall prey to his charms, he's a blatant flirt," Red said, as Leaf hurriedly took her hand back, "I'm here to pick up the prof's parcel."

"Ah yes, I had it here somewhere. I swear I put it aside just the other day, expecting you to come and fetch it but then you were late and I left it and it all just got complicated…" he said while disappearing into the store room, his voice getting softer as he went further and further, knocking over bottles and boxes as he went, inevitably breaking some of the glass items.

Red winced, and could just imagine a glameow screeching like they have in the movies when people knock things over.

"Ah, here it is!" Shi exclaimed, before racing back to the store front.

"Excellent," Red said, "The professor transferred the P'dollars to you correct? Good," he said, not letting Shi do anything but nod. "Thanks again Shi. It was good to see you again," he said, walking out with the parcel under one arm and Leaf held in the other.

They hurried to the edge of town, back towards Pallet.

"What a strange man," Leaf said.

"You have no idea," was his only reply.

* * *

 _Well that got random. Oh well, 'tis but life and all its flippant fripperies that result in the bafflement that is my strange mind. Anyway, review. Please. Or not please. Whichever one suits your fancy. Meh._


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